Donations Pour In Following Bridge Creek Vandalism

Grady County sheriff’s deputies are following up on new leads in a high school vandalism investigation.

Investigators have ruled out several vehicles seen on surveillance video around the time of the Bridge Creek High School break-in.

A lot of the football team’s equipment was ruined in the vandalism, however, the players are gaining more than they ever expected.

For example, Downtown Fitness Gym in Norman just bought a second location.

With the renovations came the need to get rid of older equipment and replace it with new stuff.

“I saw it in the kids, the hardship they were going through, and I felt like this was exactly where this stuff needed to go and it's perfect timing for us because we had stuff available,” Mark Floyd with Downtown Fitness said.

Downtown Fitness decided to donate 15 pieces of workout equipment to Bridge Creek athletics, and the gym has another five pieces saved for the team if they want additional gear.

“It feels unbelievable for all of us, I mean, for all this Downtown Fitness team and family,” Floyd said.

Downtown Fitness is one of several companies and community organizations to help Bridge Creek since the vandalism.

Last weekend, someone broke into the field house and did more than $10,000 worth of damage.

8/4/2014 Related Story: Deputies Search For Suspects After Bridge Creek Field House Vandalized

The amount of support the team has received is overwhelming.

“It just kind of makes the kids realize and see that even though we are all after that one goal of winning, we are still one big huge family,” Greg Wallis, the head football coach for Bridge Creek, said.

Southmoore High School donated practice jerseys, pants and footballs.

Choctaw, Tuttle and Newcastle gave gear, too.

“To see the support from programs, from other booster clubs, it really makes you feel good about the state of Oklahoma,” Wallis said.

Walmart donated a storage room full of office supplies for the coaches, and the public has given more than $6,000 in cash donations so far.

Classes start for Bridge Creek on Tuesday, and the athletes have fundraisers planned for every weekend this month to replace the rest of what was lost.

The first is a cookout from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on August 9 at the Walmart in Newcastle.

If you would like to donate to the Bridge Creek Booster Club, there is a fund set up at Great Plains National Bank in Tuttle to help with the school's losses.